LIVERPOOL will be linked with Lithuanian capital city Vilnius from next summer after budget airline Wizz Air announced a new route for the city.

The twice-weekly service will start from May 28, 2012, operating on Mondays and Fridays, with single fares priced from £21.99, including taxes.

It will be the fourth route Wizz Air flies from Liverpool John Lennon airport, including existing links with Warsaw, Gdansk and Katowice in Poland.

Wizz Air, which started flying from Liverpool JLA in 2004, is the largest low fare airline in Central and Eastern Europe.

Chris Harcombe, parent group Peel Airport’s Aviation Development Manager, said: “We have worked closely with Wizz Air for some time and they are now well established as the airline of choice for many Central and East European passengers.

“This latest addition to their Liverpool operations is a great destination for both business and leisure passengers.

“The combination of their low fares and a value for money, attractive destination such as Vilnius, should prove popular with the region’s passengers.”

Liverpool JLA already operates links with many of the major cities in the Baltic states, including Tallinn in Estonia, Riga in Latvia and Kaunas, also in Lithuania.

Vilnius, like Liverpool, is a former European Capital of Culture, having taken over the title jointly with Linz in Austria in 2009, after Liverpool’s success the year before.